Ohio police: 81-year-old stabbed to death in home

Comment

By The Associated Press

The Repository

By The Associated Press

Posted Jan. 22, 2014 at 10:42 PM

By The Associated Press

Posted Jan. 22, 2014 at 10:42 PM

SOUTH RUSSELL

An 81-year-old woman was found stabbed to death in her home and a grandson who served time in jail for taking her car without permission was arrested Wednesday on a probation violation as homicide detectives worked the case.

Ruth Phillips was found stabbed to death Tuesday night in the home she shared with her grandson after a concerned friend called police, Russell Township Police Chief Timothy Carroll said.

Her body was found in the basement and she had been stabbed multiple times, Carroll said.

The chief said Clayton Phillips, 18, was arrested on a parole violation in a nearby Geauga County community east of Cleveland as officers searched for the victim's car. He was not charged in the slaying.

Last year, Clayton Phillips was convicted of unauthorized use of his grandmother's car and served time in jail. She filed the complaint.

A message was left for the defense attorney who handled the case.

The worried friend who called police said Ruth Phillips had "just recently had her troubled grandson move in with her."

The caller told police she had spoken with the grandson and he had "been misleading" and gave "conflicting reasons why his grandmother cannot come to the phone," The News-Herald of Willoughby reported.

Officers sent to the home knew "from prior involvements" with the family that the grandmother and grandson were the only ones living there, the chief said. Her car was missing when officers arrived to check on her.